Process modeling of ultraviolet disinfection

Currently available process models for ultraviolet (UV) disinfection do not account for many of the fundamental physical phenomena that are known to a ffect reactor performance. A modeling approach was developed which employs numerical representations of hydrodynamics and the radiation intensity fiel d; these simulations were accomplished by the methods of computational flui d dynamics and line-source integration. The modeling approach also allowed the identification of process characteristics which limited reactor perform ance. Based on the output of the models, two geometric modifications were d eveloped and applied to a pilot-scale UV system that resulted in significan t improvements in reactor performance. The results of this research illustr ate the benefits of UV process analyses which incorporate detailed represen tations of the velocity and intensity fields. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevie r Science Ltd. All rights reserved.